


Made With Love, From Me to You

by quartzguts



Category: Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Video Game)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-20
Updated: 2019-01-20
Packaged: 2019-10-13 09:23:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17485514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quartzguts/pseuds/quartzguts
Summary: Rex is served dinner by each of the three Aegises, on three separate occasions. It doesn't go as badly as you might think.





	1. Rare Opportunities

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was inspired by my unbreakable headcanon that Malos is really good at cooking. All the chapters are really short but that's okay.  
> This is also a lot less character-study-rambling than my other fics and I'm not sure how I feel about that but... that's okay too I guess.  
> Chapter 1 is gen, chapter 2 is Pyra/Rex, and chapter 3 is Mythra/Rex.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Malos gives Rex some friendly advice before they set out on the most important salvaging job of his life.

Rex was nervous, to say the least. Although he’d been salvaging for five years now, long enough to be considered a veteran despite his age, this was still an intimidating job. The Chairman himself had requested it; that meant that not only was the reward huge, the benefits of success were unimaginable. Salvagers who had worked for the Chairman were respected. They were given large scale requests with big rewards. If Rex made Bana happy on this mission, not only would he be paid another 100,000G, he’d be able to take on more and more high collar jobs. Auntie Corrine would be able to support the orphanage easily, and he would be able to spend some of his hard earned money on himself for a change. Although he didn’t resent having to send money home, there were times when he’d hear the other salvagers bragging about their upcoming vacation to Mor Ardain or Uraya, or showing off their new expensive gear, and feel a teensy bit jealous. The only reason Rex was able to survive despite sending all his money back home was because he lived on Gramps. It’d be nice to have a few months free of budgeting and worrying if he had enough to buy cylinders for his next salvaging job. He might even be able to buy a new depth probe. Or a used one that worked, at least.

There was an air of excitement among the crew. Rex was obeying the 37th rule of the salvager code by not talking about how much he was getting paid for the job, but some of the other salvagers weren’t so tight lipped. It seemed that he was getting paid leagues higher than anyone else; probably because he was actually heading into the ship with the clients, while the others were just helping with hoisting it out of the water. Rex wasn’t complaining, or anything, but he was confused. Most of the other salvagers here were older than him, and some were even drivers. Why was he being trusted to help cut through the hoards of monsters that would likely be waiting to meet them inside the ancient ship?

His questions melted away as he sat down to begin boozing with the others. Rex wasn’t old enough to drink, technically, but being a salvager had its perks. They were sort of a class of their own in the Guild. The only time anyone would stop a salvager from drinking was if they were _really_ young.

Rex had been warned off of drinking too heavily when he joined the Guild. Melolo herself had tracked him down before his first big salvaging job at age eleven and told him that staying sober while the older salvagers were tipsy would make him stand out when they were evaluated later. It was good advice so he followed it. It was only a year or so later he realized she’d just tricked him into avoiding alcohol.

Not that it was a bad thing. It wouldn’t be easy to provide for Fonsett if he developed a drinking problem.

Still, the butterflies in his stomach might be calmed a bit with a few sips of wine - Rex hadn’t done enough drinking to stomach the beer being downed by the older salvagers.

He was chatting with his new crewmates when a low voice cut out over the crowd. It was one of the clients, the man in black armor. His blade was no where to be seen, and his weapon was gone, too. Rex was grateful. He didn’t like to keep a grudge, but it was hard to forget when a man attacked you without warning.

“Alright, what does everyone want to eat?” His new client (or boss? it was a bit unclear) asked. “I can grill up pretty much anything, long as we have the ingredients.”

It was an unusual offer. Rarely did clients accompany salvagers on the job, and even rarer did they offer to cook. Usually the Guild supplied their meals when they were out on a mission. After the first few salvagers went up and came back with food, though, there was a frenzy to get over to the grills out on deck. Sweet and savory smells mingled in the air as meal after meal was swiftly prepared. Left and right, people were complimenting their client’s cooking. The spicy scent made Rex’s mouth water. He was used to grilled food, since that was the easiest thing to cook on Gramps with his small kitchen, but his cooking repertoire consisted mostly of bland, half cooked seafood. Getting fed was more important than making the food taste good, and he didn’t have the money for spices anyway.

After the fifth person at their table returned with a delicious looking plate of Argentum monkfish, Rex gathered up his courage and marched over to the grills.

The guy in black was working on several other meals when Rex walked up, but still noticed him immediately. He grinned. Rex offered a tentative smile back.

“Nice to see you, kid,” he said. “Whaddya want? I’m almost out of ingredients here.”

“Um,” Rex said. “I’d like to try that Argentum monkfish, if you’ve got any more.”

“Coming right up.”

It only took twenty more minutes until the last of the meals were passed out. Rex gazed at his own meal, set down on the counter next to the grill, with anticipation and annoyance. The man passed out all the other dinners before handing his over.

“Come with me, kid,” he said. “I wanna talk to you.”

Rex narrowed his eyes. “You’re not going to attack me again, are you?”

“‘Course not,” he replied easily. “That would spoil dinner for everyone.”

Whatever, Rex thought. It wouldn’t be smart to piss off his boss.

They sat down together at an empty table. Although everyone was enjoying their boss’s cooking, no one seemed to be particularly eager to get close to him. Rex didn’t blame them. The man had a dangerous air about him. There was something about his expression and posture that made him seem like a beast poised to attack.

He hadn’t made a plate for himself. Instead he stared intently at Rex, watching as he took his first bite.

“Wow, this is amazing!” Rex exclaimed. “I never knew fish could taste this good!”

His boss relaxed and broke his relentless stare. “I’m glad,” he said. “Argentum monkfish is rare. I haven’t had a lot of opportunities to cook it.”

The words were friendly, but the tone was slightly threatening. Rex was starting to think that was just how he sounded. Were all drivers that tough?

“Thank you for cooking for us, mister...?”

“Malos,” he replied. “And you’re Rex, huh?”

“Yep! Glad to be working with you.” Rex glanced down at the empty space in front of Malos again. “Aren’t you going to eat anything?”

“Nah, I prefer cooking for other people.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.” Malos looked up and waved. Rex turned around to see the masked man from before standing on the terrace above them. The man gave a short wave back before walking over to look out one of the windows. “Besides, I ate earlier. He’s a better cook than I am.”

“He is?” Rex said. “You mean that guy up there?”

“You got it. His name’s Jin.” Malos’s expression softened a bit as he said the name. “Listen up, kid. This job is going to be the toughest gig of your life. You might die.”

Rex rolled his eyes. “So what? Salvaging is never without hazards.”

Malos scoffed. “This isn’t another little dive in the shallows to pick up worthless trinkets. What we’re going to be hauling up is dangerous.”

“I get it.” Rex had never liked being talked down to. As a _child salvager_ , it happened often enough, although it was worse when he was younger. A few times when he was set up with a job by the Guild, his clients would fire him right after meeting him. _A kid? You’ve gotta be kidding. Get me a_ real _salvager_. “I’ve been doing this since I was ten years old. I’m a professional. I might not be a driver, but I can handle it.”

Malos stared at him, hard. Rex glared back. Finally Malos leaned back in his seat and smirked. “Well, well, well. Guess we don’t need to worry then, do we?”

“Not at all,” Rex said. Malos’s tone was still mocking, but he was looking at him with a little more respect in his eyes, and that was enough for Rex. A nagging voice rose up in the back of his mind. “Wait a minute, this thing we’re hauling up - you said it was dangerous? It isn’t some kind of weapon, is it?”

“Now don’t you worry about that,” Malos said. He got up from his seat and stretched. “You’ll see it for yourself soon enough.”

Rex looked down at his half eaten food as Malos sauntered away. The steam rising from the fish tasted of spice and smoke. As he took in another mouthful, Rex decided that he should have asked for more details about the job after all.


	2. 500 Year Old Recipe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pyra fixes dinner and tries to set some of Rex's doubts at ease.

Pyra turned out to be a dangerous weapon alright, but she was a dangerous weapon with a kind heart, so it was okay.

She was an excellent cook, too. When Nia absentmindedly mentioned one night that she missed Jin’s home-cooking, Pyra swept out of Tora’s house and returned with an armful of ingredients. She made Rex and Poppi QT help with dinner; according to Dromarch, Nia’s mere presence in the kitchen could ruin the meal (just like Mythra, Rex noted with amusement). Pyra sent her and Tora off to set the table while Dromarch and Gramps supervised.

Rex was chopping up the vegetables while Poppi QT started the actual cooking, under Pyra’s directions. Once the meal was underway, Pyra turned to him. “So, Rex,” she said. “I was thinking I could cook dinner a few times a week from now on. What would you like?”

“Really?” Rex asked. “Well, my favorite’s always been pan fried tartari, if you don’t mind.”

Pyra smiled softly. “Of course not. That’s an easy dish. I’ll make it tomorrow if you promise to help with the shopping.”

“Yeah, absolutely!” Rex grinned. It was rare that he was able to indulge in his favorite food. It wasn’t really expensive at shops, but up until now it was more than he cared to spend on something that would be gone in a few minutes.

Pyra kept gazing at him softly, lost in her own little world. Rex cleared his throat. “Um, is something wrong?”

“What? Oh, no,” Pyra said sheepishly. “It’s just, pan fried tartari was the favorite food of an old friend of mine.”

“An old friend?” Rex said. “Like, 500-years-ago old?”

“Yes.” Pyra smiled. “But don’t worry. I like you better.”

“Um, what?” Rex coughed. He could feel the blush rising on his cheeks. “I mean - what do you -“

“Pyra, is the meat supposed to be black?”

“What - oh no no no no no! Here, let’s get it off the heat -“

Rex watched as Pyra helped Poppi QT fan the burning meat, and then helped them salvage the meal. As they ate, he silently prayed that Pyra hadn’t noticed his embarrassment.

Rex had been crushing hard on Pyra since he had met her in Elysium. Who wouldn’t? She was pretty, kind, and there was something about her that just made Rex’s heart burst with affection. He wanted to protect her until they reached Elysium and even after. He felt the same way about Mythra, of course, but Pyra seemed to make his cheeks turn red and his mouth go dry in a way her other self didn’t. Maybe it was just the nervousness of first love.

He had felt that way about a few others before - people that he met in Argentum, childhood friends from Fonsett - but never this strong. And those feelings hadn’t lasted as long, either. Rex didn’t know what to do, so he just looked at Pyra as often as possible and tried to communicate his love in quiet, _safe_ ways. Nia teased him about it relentlessly, but Pyra apparently hadn’t noticed, thank the Architect.

Or maybe she had, and was just keeping quiet? Was she trying to avoid hurting his feelings? Even if she ended up rejecting him eventually, Rex knew they’d still have their bond as driver and blade. Fighting by her side, sharing her pain, and feeling her energy were ample substitutes for romantic love. Even if Rex would never be - could never be- as good as Addam, he still had a place at her side.

After dinner, the two of them sat together at the table, alone.

“So, um. Rex,” Pyra said, looking nervous. “How did you like dinner?”

Rex smiled warmly. They were alone in the kitchen now, as the others had gone to pick up dessert at one of the shops in town and Gramps had retired for the night. Pyra had grabbed his sleeve as he got up from the table and asked him to stay and talk.

Rex was in heaven. He loved spending time alone with Pyra, even if those times were far and few in between. “It was amazing, Pyra. I’ve never had a more delicious dinner.”

“Really?” Pyra said. “I’m glad. I like cooking for other people. It’s no fun by myself.”

The statement sounded oddly familiar, but Rex pushed the uneasy feeling down. “If you need help tomorrow, just let me know!”

Pyra giggled. “I’m making _your favorite_ tomorrow. If I let you help, it’ll all be gone before dinner is served.”

Rex scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

They sat together for a few minutes in comfortable silence before Pyra cleared her throat. “Earlier, what I said - or rather, how you reacted - uh,” she said.

Rex could feel his cheeks burning again. “Oh! Oh. Yeah, that was, uh, that happened, right? I mean... um.”

“I really do like you,” Pyra said softly. “You don’t have to be any more than what you already are. You’re wonderful.”

Rex didn’t really understand what she was saying, but his heart thudded anyway. It was pounding so loudly he was sure Pyra could hear it. “Me? Wonderful?” He asked. “Don’t be ridiculous, Pyra. You’re the one who’s wonderful.”

Now it was her turn to blush furiously. Her cheeks turned deep red, and Rex found himself reaching forward to brush the soft skin with his fingertips. Pyra laid her hand over his. Rex leaned in.

The kiss was soft and perfect. After it was over, they sat together in gentle silence until the distant sound of the back door opening told them the others were back.

Pyra turned away quickly and grabbed her tea. The cup began to sizzle from the heat of her hands. Rex smiled and twiddled his thumbs. It seemed his friend - girlfriend, maybe? could he finally call her that? - was even shier than he was.

Poppi QT and Tora came into the kitchen with their arms full of boxed cakes and pies. Nia walked in after, sipping a cup of hot chocolate. She took one look at them and grinned. “Well, well, well, looks like the two lovebirds had a good time while we were gone.”

Rex laughed as Pyra’s tea started boiling. He didn’t mind the teasing, for once.

Later, just as he was about to fall asleep, Rex remembered that Malos had said something similar about cooking for others when he had fixed dinner and warned him about Pyra’s strength all those nights ago. So much had happened since then, he had forgotten it.

It didn’t matter. Malos and Pyra were Aegises, two of a kind. They’d no doubt have a few things in common. Besides, Rex preferred Pyra’s cooking by a long shot.

Food tasted better when it was cooked with love, after all.


	3. The Only Thing I'm Good At

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mythra wants to try her hand at cooking, and Rex decides to help her.

One night, when Pyra was just setting out the ingredients and getting ready to start dinner, her face went pale and her eyes went wide. The plate she was holding dropped to the ground and shattered.

Rex and Nia were up and at her side in an instant.

“Pyra, are you alright?” Rex asked frantically, giving his girlfriend a quick once over.

“It’s fine,” Pyra assured them. She rested her hands on the counter to brace herself. “Don’t worry. Um.”

“What do you mean, ‘it’s fine?’” Nia hissed as she ducked to pick glass up off the floor. “You look like you saw a ghost! What’s going on?”

Pyra cleared her throat. “Mythra just... said something silly. Don’t worry about it.”

“Mythra?” Rex said. “Is something wrong with her?”

“It’s not that exactly,” Pyra said nervously. “She just wants to cook tonight, is all.”

Nia, having finished tidying up the remains of the broken plate, sat on the counter and sighed. “Is that all? Wait, isn’t she supposed to be as bad a cook as I am?”

“She’s worse,” Pyra was quick to say. “Much worse.”

“Surely she can’t be that bad,” Rex said. “I’m mean, she’s another version of you, and you’re-“

“Listen, Rex,” Pyra hushed him. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. Anyway, I should get dinner started”

Rex frowned. He had been looking forward to Pyra’s cooking, of course, but it wouldn’t be fair to Mythra if he didn’t do anything. After all, everyone had gotten a chance to cook for the group at least once, with varying degrees of success. And even Nia had improved dramatically when she made dumplings under Vess’s instructions.

The thought gave him an idea. “Hey, Pyra,” he said. “What if you supervise while Mythra cooks?”

“What do you mean?” Pyra asked. Rex didn’t miss the concerned note in her voice.

“Well, Mythra can cook while you give her instructions. In your head,” Rex said. “You can do that, right?”

Nia whistled. “A rare good idea, coming from you.”

“Hey!”

“Well,” Pyra said slowly. “I guess that could work.”

“Great! So when are you-“

Rex was cut off by the shining light that enveloped Pyra’s body. In an instant, his girlfriend was replaced by her other self - a distinction he still wasn’t sure what to make of. Pyra had already told Rex that if he liked Mythra, too, she was fine with it, but it still felt weird. Mythra glanced around at the counter, before turning to Nia and grinning.

“Can you grab me some meaty carrots and krabble meat from storage?”

“Sure,” Nia replied easily. “But I thought Pyra already had all the ingredients out.”

“I’m gonna add some stuff to the recipie,” Mythra said. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Gotcha.” Nia hopped down from the counter and strolled out of the room. The second she was gone, Mythra turned to Rex and smiled softly.

“Thank you, Rex,” she said. Her voice was so quiet, it was almost a whisper.

Rex’s heart skipped a beat. “Um, no problem,” he said. He had to look down, away from Mythra’s pretty golden eyes, to get the words out. “Do you need help with dinner?”

“Don’t be stupid,” Mythra said, flipping her hair over her shoulder as Nia walked back in with the requested ingredients. “Just go wait by the table. You’re gonna love this.”

 _Famous last words_ , Rex thought when he was presented with a plate of blackened mush only thirty minutes later.

How she had managed to burn something that badly in only thirty minutes, Rex wasn’t sure. Mythra was standing proudly at the edge of the table now that everyone had been served their share of her rather... “creative” dinner. Tora gently pushed both his and Poppi QT’s plates away, while Dromarch grabbed the edge of Nia’s hood to pull her away from her own plate. Gramps chuckled and floated out of the room.

Mythra cracked an eye open. “Well? Isn’t anyone going to try it?”

Rex gulped. “Uh, it’s very-“

“Tora will not let Poppi eat this,” Tora said, bouncing in his seat. “It not real food. Will gunk up Poppi’s systems.”

“Excuse me?!” Mythra hissed. Her affronted tone made Tora yelp with fear, but Rex could see something deeper in her eyes. Something tired.

“Mythra, are you-“ he began to ask.

“Fine,” she said, turning away. “I know I’m no good at cooking. Let’s just dump this, we can go into town and grab something there.”

Tora swiftly followed her instructions, throwing both his and Poppi QT’s plates (including the dishware and silverware) into the trash and quickly heading out. Nia protested when Dromarch dumped their plates, but begrudgingly followed him out of the room as well. As she passed Rex, she ducked in to whisper in his ear.

“You’d better find a way to cheer her up,” she said.

Rex nodded. He still didn’t understand Mythra as well as he did Pyra, but he had an idea of what was wrong - and how to fix it.

When they were alone, Mythra sighed heavily and plopped down at the table. She buried her head in her hands and waited for Rex to leave. When he didn’t, she looked up.

“Aren’t you going too?” She asked dubiously.

“Wasn’t planning on it,” Rex replied. “I’d rather stay here with you.”

Mythra looked at him strangely. “Whatever. Do what you want.” She turned away from him and put her head back in her hands.

“Okay,” Rex said. He sat down next to her and glanced at his steaming plate, still on the table. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” Mythra said, her voice muffled. “Why not.”

“Why did you want to cook dinner tonight?”

Mythra glared up at him. “What?”

“I mean,” Rex said, trying to avoid looking into her ice cold eyes. “You’re not the best at cooking, obviously - not that that’s a bad thing! I can’t cook myself. But you still wanted to try.” He scratched his cheek. “I guess I’m just curious.”

Mythra stared at him for a bit. Then she sighed and said, “I just want to be good at something other than killing.”

“What?”

“I’m a weapon, Rex. I’m only good at destroying things. At least Pyra has _some_ skills that she can use to make people happy. But I’ve always just been... like this.” She cupped her core crystal with her hands. “Just a weapon.”

“Mythra.”

“I thought if Pyra was walking me through it, I could manage. But I couldn’t! I’m so useless, I - what are you doing?”

Rex had just swallowed his second mouthful. “I’m eating dinner. Wanna join me?”

Mythra laughed lightly. There were tears in her eyes, but she was smiling. “No. I’ll just watch and make sure you don’t throw up.”

He didn’t. And if he found out later that Mythra’s lips were a lot sweeter than her cooking, that was between them, and no one else.


End file.
